You can now see ongoing driverless testing programs across the US, thanks to a new tool from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The agency has launched the public-facing platform as part of its Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing Initiative, which aims to improve transparency in the self-driving industry. If you'll recall, the NHTSA unveiled the initiative back in June, shortly after the Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE) published a study that says most Americans still don't trust automated vehicle technologies. PAVE surveyed 1,200 people, and 48 percent of them said they would never get into a self-driving taxi. A total of 20 percent think the technology will never be safe.

Uber Advanced Technologies Group has released a report that outlines the company's commitment to it's self-driving vehicle strategy and what it's doing to insure the safe development of autonomous cars. Titled'A Principled Approach To Safety', the voluntary safety self-assessment was developed in line with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's guidance. The 70-page document is intended to speak to multiple audiences, including the public, fellow road-users and potential users of self-driving technology, policymakers (including legislators), regulators, local officials and other self-driving vehicle developers. Uber believes that competitive pressures have made sharing information on progress in development challenging. Yet transparency into developments and progress are important to earn and increase public confidence in this technology and, in turn, its ability to deliver on the potential benefits.

Uber has published a Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment report in a bid to convince authorities to give it the go-ahead to test its self-driving vehicles on public roads again. The ride-hailing firm suspended all self-driving trials in March after a fatal crash in Tempe, Arizona killed a pedestrian. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, Uber's software detected the pedestrian six seconds before impact, but it didn't activate emergency braking until 1.3 seconds before the collision. The human backup driver was unfortunately distracted and streaming a show on their phone. Uber has since applied for permission to resume testing on public roads, and it's currently under review by the Department of Transportation.